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More misery as Ukraine rushes drinking water after dam breaks

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

KHERSON, Ukraine — Authorities rushed to rescue hundreds of people stranded on rooftops and supply drinking water to areas flooded by a collapsed dam in southern Ukraine, in a growing humanitarian and ecological disaster along a river that forms part of the front line in the 15-month war.The collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam and emptying of its reservoir on the Dnieper River added to the misery the region has suffered for more than a year from artillery and missile attacks.With humanitarian and ecological disasters still unfolding, it’s already clear that tens of thousands of people have been deprived of drinking water, many are homeless, crops are ruined, land mines have been displaced, and the stage is set for long-term electricity shortages.Some residents of Russia-occupied areas hit by high water complained that help was slow in arriving, with some stranded on roofs and streets passable only by boat in scenes more like natural disasters than wars. Others refused to leav...

Pope Francis has scar tissue removed, hernia repaired during 3-hour abdominal surgery

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

By NICOLE WINFIELD, TRISHA THOMAS and MARIA CHENG (Associated Press)ROME (AP) — Pope Francis underwent successful surgery Wednesday to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the latest maladies to befall the 86-year-old pontiff who had part of his colon removed two years ago.The Vatican said there were no complications during the three-hour surgery, which required Francis to be under general anesthesia. The pontiff was expected to remain at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for several days, and all papal audiences were canceled through June 18.Dr. Sergio Alfieri, director of abdominal and endocrine sciences at Gemelli, who also performed Francis’ 2021 colon surgery, said the operation was successful, the pope was awake, alert and even joking.“When will we do the third one?” he quoted Francis as saying.During the operation, doctors removed adhesions, or internal scarring, on the intestine that had caused a partial blockage, as we...

‘The Flash’ a fast-moving, Bat-tastic, universe-altering thrillfest

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

If it’s not one multiverse, it’s another.Coming hot on the superhero heels of the mind-blowingly multidimensional animated work of art that is “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “The Flash” is an almost-as-excellent universe-hopping live-action extravaganza.Almost always moving at what feels like the speed of light (but, ironically, not in theaters until next week), this first feature film featuring the subatomically fast DC Comics hero is a zippy and entertaining blast. And yet it nonetheless manages to serve up a few heartfelt moments amid all its carefully choreographed chaos.As trailers have made very clear, among the familiar faces showing up in “The Flash” is Michael Keaton, who played the Dark Knight in Tim Burton’s 1989 megahit “Batman” and its 1992 sequel, “Batman Returns.”You wanna get nuts? This movie will GET NUTS.And while we get a lot of Keaton — initially as wealthy industrialist Bruce Wayne, retired from caped crusading and living alone in his mansion in a now-mu...

Is it time for these film franchises to go away?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

The lyrics to iconic Kenny Rogers’ song “The Gambler” could double down as the realization that should be coming to movie franchise biz.In that No. 1 1978 hit written by Don Schlitz, Rogers croons:You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, Know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away, And know when to run. … Hollywood should tap into that sage advice when it comes to the proliferation of reboots, sequels and franchises that is choking the film industry. But with millions and millions of dollars at stake, and with audiences apparently still hungry for more “Fast and Furious” films (10 are in the books and at least two more are planned), the big-studio norm is to churn out sequels, reboots and origin stories.Sure, some indeed work, but others just clog up the cineplex and offer one empty shot after another.The story is the same for this summer, with franchises ruling the season and familiar faces suiting up to play familiar characters in familiar predicaments. Indiana Jones is back. Ethan ...

FBI: Cyber crimes cost U.S. $10 billion in 2023, $300 million from New England

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

Cyber criminals stole over $10 billion from U.S. citizens and entities last year, an ‘unprecedented’ amount of loss resulting from a threat which is both growing in sophistication and increasingly harder for victims to protect themselves from, agents with the FBI said Wednesday.Speaking at Boston College for the seventh Boston Conference on Cyber Security, FBI Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Joe Bonavolonta said that in his division alone — one of the Bureau’s largest, covering Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island — “victims reported more than $298 million in losses” as a result of cyber crime.“FBI Boston continues to receive as many as four reports per week from new victims, and in some cases they’ve suffered tens of millions of dollars in losses per individual report,” Bonavolonta said.In April, the city of Lowell was attacked by a cyber criminal group calling themselves “Play” which used malware — that’s computer software made...

Researchers created a pocket-size blood pressure monitor that attaches to a smartphone

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Researchers at UC San Diego have developed a new kind of blood pressure monitor that’s small enough to fit in your pocket and attaches to a smartphone.The team out of the Jacobs School of Engineering outlined their invention and findings in a paper that was published in the peer-reviewed journal, Scientific Reports, last week.Researchers note that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a leading cause of preventable premature death and disability worldwide. Monitoring blood pressure is also crucial for pregnant mothers who could be at risk of life-threatening conditions like preeclampsia.Edward Wang, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC San Diego and one of the authors of the study, highlighted the low cost to produce the BPClip as a key for making this tool more accessible.It costs less than $1 to make a BPClip, while traditional at-home blood pressure monitors with a cuff can cost between $30 to $75.Ultimately, he said the goal is not to replace t...

The story behind Juneteenth and how it became a federal holiday

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

Americans will soon celebrate Juneteenth, marking the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts. The U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion — it was only in 2021 that President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress to set aside Juneteenth, or June 19th, as a federal holiday. And just as many people learn what Juneteenth is all about, the holiday’s traditions are facing new pressures — political rhetoric condemning efforts to teach Americans about the nation’s racial history, companies using the holiday as a marketing event, people partying without understanding why.Here is a look at the origins of Juneteenth, how it became a federal holiday and more about its history.HOW DID JUNETEENTH START?The celebrations began with ensl...

Pat Casey dies in crash at Ramona motocross track

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

RAMONA, Calif. — Officials have identified the man who died Tuesday at a motocross track in Ramona.Patrick "Pat" Michael Casey, 29, died after he lost control of the motocross bike he was riding and was ejected from the vehicle, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said.The incident happened around 2:45 p.m. at Slayground Motocross Park, which is owned by Axell Hodges, a three-time gold medal winner in X Games Moto X competition.According to authorities, Casey crashed his motorcycle while performing a jump on the park ramps. Bystanders called 911 after the crash and paramedics were dispatched to the track. Medics found Casey pulseless and apneic. Despite life-saving measures, he was not able to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at the scene."We are deeply saddened by Pat Casey's passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, children, parents and siblings," X Games said in a post on Instagram. "A true legend in the action sports community, Pat will alw...

MLB will discuss postponing games in New York, Philadelphia due to wildfire smoke

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball plans to discuss whether to postpone games in New York and Philadelphia on Wednesday night because of poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.The New York Yankees are scheduled to host the Chicago White Sox, and the Philadelphia Phillies are slated to host Detroit.MLB said it planned to speak with the teams involved at about 4 p.m.The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for New York City, saying: “the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.” In Philadelphia, the NWS issued a Code Red.The Yankees and White Sox played through a lesser haze on Tuesday night.The National Women’s Soccer League postponed Orlando’s match at Gotham in Harrison, New Jersey, from Wednesday night to Aug. 9.“The match could not be safely conducted based on the projected air quality index,” the N...

‘The Righteous,’ an opera set among American Southwest church communities, to premiere in 2024

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:52:39 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Santa Fe Opera will present the world premiere of “The Righteous” by composer Gregory Spears with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy K. Smith on July 13 next year. The opera, set among church communities in the American Southwest, stars baritone Michael Mayes as a preacher who becomes governor during a period stretching from the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 to the Gulf War in the 1990s, the company announced Wednesday. The cast includes countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, bass-baritones Greer Grimsley and Nicholas Newton, sopranos Amber Wagner and Elena Villalón, and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano.Spears and Smith collaborated on “Castor and Patience,” which premiered at the Cincinnati Opera last July. Smith won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for poetry and was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2017-19.Jordan de Souza conducts a production directed by Kevin Newbury, which will be given six performances through Aug. 13, 2024.Santa Fe’s 2024 season ...